In the gladiatorial arena, after a bald man let out a strange cry, he appeared on the host platform at the edge of the arena, signifying the official start of this battle.
He would be responsible for explaining the events here, stirring up the atmosphere inside the arena.
At this time, the betting on the tickets was also concluded. If Duke guessed correctly, he would receive seventeen magic stones.
The Moonlight Wolfâs figure flickered, leaving a spectral image of its body in place. These illusions multiplied rapidly, soon filling the arena with hundreds of Moonlight Wolf reflections, making it impossible to discern the true body.
Navi stood still, armor beginning to transform. The metal covering his body flowed like water, forming a massive shield nearby.
Meanwhile, eight gigantic metal tendrils grew from his back, resembling spider legs, with tips that were extremely sharp and glittered menacingly.
"Mechanical Wizard!" Vivian whispered.
It was Dukeâs first time seeing a Mechanical Wizard in person; he had only heard of them before.
Itâs said that on the East Coast, the development of Mechanical Wizards is particularly prosperous, with many of them present, unlike the rare sight on the West Coast.
While they were discussing, the Moonlight Wolf suddenly appeared at Naviâs flank, precisely at the spot the Metal Giant Shield couldnât defend, striking fiercely with its massive, sharp claws.
The Moonlight Wolfâs claws were half a meter long; if they connected, Navi would be split on the spot.
The magic metal on Naviâs body flowed swiftly, forming a small shield that blocked the attack just in time.
Navi reacted quickly, constantly using Spiritual Power to monitor the surroundings.
Duke couldnât even catch the Moonlight Wolfâs movements or see when it approached.
For him, facing such magical beasts relied on more than just sight; other methods of perception and reconnaissance were needed, or he wouldnât have time to react.
As Navi was blocking the ambush, the metal spider legs behind him also moved, so fast that it was hard to see them in action.
By the time many noticed, the spider legs had already pierced into the Moonlight Wolfâs body, seemingly teleporting without any movement process.
No blood appeared on the Moonlight Wolfâs body; its massive form dissipated into specks of starlight.
Soon, the Moonlight Wolf reappeared from another angle, attacking from an exceptionally tricky position.
Navi seemed unbothered, with the magic metal on him acting as if it had its own consciousness, automatically executing attacks and defenses with incredible speed.
Each failed ambush by the Moonlight Wolf resulted in another spectral image vanishing.
Navi responded leisurely, apparently intending to exhaust the Moonlight Wolf before making any aggressive moves.
After ten minutes, only thirty or so spectral images of the Moonlight Wolf remained in the arena.
The Moonlight Wolf was visibly cautious, never daring to truly approach Navi, as the metal spider legs posed great pressure upon it.
Finally, Navi seemed to decide it was enough, waving his hand as numerous small pieces of magic metal flew from him, floating and rapidly forming needle-like shapes.
One end of these metal needles was exceedingly sharp, while the other blossomed like flowers, revealing tens of thousands of fine metal stamens within.
Navi waved his hand, and these metal flowers shot out instantly, targeting the remaining spectral images in the arena.
Moments later, each illusionary Moonlight Wolf popped like a bubble, leaving behind a floating metal flower.
The true body of the Moonlight Wolf appeared in the arena, a long gash on its left forepaw dripping continuously with blood.
Naviâs magic metal was limited; he couldnât use it all to destroy these images at once, so he opted to exhaust them first before breaking them one by one.
He didnât need to pinpoint the Moonlight Wolfâs actual location; solving the spectral images ensured the body would reveal itself.
At this moment, the airborne metal flowers were still hovering, spinning continuously.
These blooms appeared beautiful, but to the Moonlight Wolf, they were life-reaping weapons.
The Moonlight Wolf was now somewhat cornered, unable to approach Navi as the magic metal perfectly shielded him, with attacks equally deadly.
"Awooo~"
The Moonlight Wolf howled to the sky, the full moon casting a beam downwards, infusing the Moonlight Wolf.
"This is the awakening of its bloodline power, significantly boosting the Moonlight Wolfâs capabilities and possibly triggering an ancestral transformation," Vivian explained.
The entire process was fleeting, lasting only a moment, else Navi wouldnât have stood by watching the Moonlight Wolf receive the moonâs blessing.
With moonlight awakening its bloodline power, the Moonlight Wolfâs body radiated a silvery glow.
Then it moved; its speed multiplied several times, reaching Navi in the blink of an eye, its sharp claws horizontally slashing to decapitate Navi.
The claws struck Navi solidly as he seemingly had no time to react.
Naviâs upper body distorted from immense force, his head hanging at an odd angle, yet no blood flowed.
Moments later, Naviâs form melted into a pool of metallic liquid on the ground.
"Speed increased by 6.7 times." A voice drifted from above.
The crowd looked up to find Navi floating mid-air, standing upon a metal flower, muttering calculations.
"Conclusion reached, so be it..."
Naviâs fingers moved continually, guiding the metal flowers below to distribute systematically throughout the arena.
The Moonlight Wolfâs slit eyes watched the moving flowers, instinctively sensing danger.
Reacting by instinct, it tried to flee the location, unable to sit idly by.
Instantly, a flower sliced through like a blade as it departed.
The Moonlight Wolf swiftly dodged the attack, but the flowerâs stamen burst out, transforming into thousands of sharp needles, puncturing directly into the Moonlight Wolfâs body.
The Moonlight Wolf gritted its teeth, clamping its muscles tightly around the stabbing needles to prevent full penetration.
Struggling, it managed to secure the needles within its muscles despite its back being porcupine-like and oozing blood.
"Bloom." Navi gently uttered these three words from mid-air, as if pronouncing the Moonlight Wolfâs death sentence.
In the gladiatorial arena, the many flowers sealed off all escape paths for the Moonlight Wolf.
Dozens of metal flowers bloomed, each ejecting stamens that wrapped the Moonlight Wolf in a deluge of metal threads.